May Madness

The month of May was filled with visitors (Kay and Ben from Boston) and constant travel including a trip back to the U.S. for a week. I was fortunate to use my AA miles and scored an inexpensive flight. Conveniently,  British Airways flies direct to Austin out of Heathrow. Nice to see Austin is hitting the big time!  I was relatively high functioning despite the jetlag thanks to lots of coffee (with unhealthy amounts of cream) - It's been a few months since I had the joy of cream in my coffee so I went overboard…who wouldn’t! It was wonderful to experience the warm Austin sun and downtown nightlife again. Austin always feels like home. All in all, it was a whirlwind of a week back in the States. Not only was I able to attend (and stand up in) my best friend's wedding but the nuptials also coincided with my brother's graduation with his Master's in Psychology. I was a flying fool to say the very least! My travel schedule went something along the lines of  BRU>LON>AUS>DFW>PITT>BOS>DUB>BRU

Upon arriving back home, Ben happened to be invited to a work recruiting event in Reims, France (Champagne region) for the weekend. Oh okay, twist my arm. Given this was our last weekend with access to four wheels (Blue Devil) we were able to make the 2.5 hour drive with Maddie. Yes, she has now been to two areas of France. #spoileddog

It was nice to learn about the Champagne making process through visiting a few different vineyards and Champagne houses outside the tiny city. The weather was a bit chilly but that didn't stop Maddie from frolicking amongst the grapevines. We stayed an extra night to relax and enjoy the sites inside the small, quaint city of Reims before embarking on the scenic drive through the French countryside back to Brussels.

Our last May long weekend was spent in Morocco (initially considered our BIG trip ) with Ben's life-long friend Jason. The weather in Brussels was average (rainy, cloudy, and cold) so we were incredibly anxious to soak in the Moroccan sun and 80+ degree weather. We really loved Morocco! It was a great trip to learn and experience an entirely different culture. That being said, it was still an adjustment to see women completely covered up and doing most of the hard labor. Yes, you heard that right. Visiting the Berber villages we often saw women carrying wood and household supplies uphill while the men sold goods in the nearby markets.  Not to mention, they are fully clothed in 30+ degrees Celsius (85 degrees Fahrenheit) heat.

 

We kicked off our first day in Marrakesh with a full day tour to the Atlas Mountains complete with camel riding. It has always been on my bucket list so I was happy to finally cross it off. Ben was a bit resistant as he didn't find them much fun as a kid. He ended up loving his camel and the entire experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to experience another area of Morocco by taking a 2.5 hour drive west to the coast city Essaouira. We initially scheduled a rental car but with that falling through, Jason saved the day by finding and hiring a driver to take us roundtrip for a nice price. Glad to see the hard bargaining skills learned in law school paid off. Our driver, Mohammed, was able to safely escort us there and back with major issues. Essaouria had a hippy, beach bum vibe with the Atlantic ocean as the perfect backdrop. We made it just in time to see a stunning sunset. The Medina is a fraction of the size of Marrakesh's marketplace so it was a bit more manageable for shopping and sightseeing. I was able to relax with a 2 hour Hammam - body scrub, sauna experience that was a bit different than I'd expect in the States but for 30 euros I can't complain!

 

We were surprised how much Americans are loved in Marrakesh. You could almost see the $$ signs pop up in their eyes. Although we weren't thrilled with that the association it was still a fantastic visit. The food was fantastic...I don't think we had a bad meal! I plan to cook up a few tagines once we return home.  We were coaxed into seeing the Tannery (leather production) by a few insistent locals which proved to be an interesting albeit "fragrant" experience. We were given mint leaves as our "gas mask" to help survive the tour. Not the best place to visit after lunch!

 On our last night, we had a scrumptious meal overlooking the mosque at sunset complete with belly dancing.  Overall, we couldn't have asked for a better trip.

 

Only two more weeks left in Europe until we land in the Lone Star State (patriotically arriving on the 4th of July). Stay tuned for more updates on our latest trip to Greece!

Barcelona for Birthdays

For the past six years, Ben and I have been celebrating our birthdays together.  Yes, it is adorable yet incredibly abnormal. At least I never have to worry about Ben forgetting my birthday. We always celebrate with a trip in lieu of exchanging gifts. Our approach is that it's far better to obtain different experiences than material things. This year marks Ben's 30th (finally!) so he chose Barcelona for our birthday trip destination.

 

It was our first time celebrating in Europe, which was extra special given May Day is an EU holiday.  Being the super planner, I booked the popular attractions online so we could bypass waiting hours in line and maximize our time touring the city.  We picked the Picasso Museum along with Gaudi's Sagrada Familia and Park Guell as our main tourist sites. Sagrada Familia was by far our favorite structure. We could have spent hours scouring every nook and cranny of the jaw dropping masterpiece.

 

We were fortunate to have above average temperatures (78 degrees), which gave us the excuse to eat lots of delicious fruit filled popsicles and bask in the sunshine on the local beaches. Ben's speedo was packed for the occasion. Unfortunately, we found very few people walking around in such European attire. So much for fitting in!

For our first evening activity, we decided to embrace the club culture by heading to the W Hotel for the spectacular view at the Eclipse nightclub. Trust me, if there wasn't a view, there would be no way Ben would step foot in a nightclub. We had a great time people watching as there were multiple Hen (Bachelorette) and Stag (Bachelor) parties taking place.  The Big Bang Theory doppelgangers happened to sit right next to us. We were quite entertained by them especially since a few appeared to be having successful interactions with the opposite sex.

 

 

For our last night out, we decided on a romantic birthday dinner followed by a Four Guitars concert at the beautiful Palau Música Catalana. I made reservations at a nice little establishment known to be a highly rated dining spot in Barcelona. The reservation was made on Ben's iPad which automatically sent the request via his email. I couldn’t help but add that it was MY birthday so he wanted to make sure the dinner was EXTRA special. While I'd normally include that it was also Ben's birthday, we've found people think we are trying to pull a fast one. I don't know how many times we've had to show our passports to prove it.

 

Upon arriving, we were greeted with glasses of champagne to kick off our "special" dinner. Ben was a bit perplexed until I explained my sneaky request. We ordered a large pitcher of sangria along with an assortment of traditional Spanish dishes: fish, chicken empanadas and gazpacho. The pitcher arrived filled to the brim with ice and a colorful array of fresh fruit. We poured our drinks and I judiciously spooned out some of the fruit into our glasses as I like to pick out all the strawberries. This happens with just about every food we share from trail mix to cereal. In refilling our glasses, I was spooning out the fruit again only to notice a different colored piece. At first glance, it looked like an odd shaped piece of plum against the candle light. I pulled the spoon closer to Ben and asked if he knew what type of fruit that was in our drink. Ben was a bit skeptical and asked for me to put it down on the table so he could get a better look . After a few seconds, he ordered for me to immediately look away confirming my suspicions that it wasn't a piece of plum. Oy Vey! As I peered across the table, the "plum" was indeed a member of the cockroach family.  Ben angrily requested the owner/manager come to our table to discuss the drink issue. He was appalled and disturbed, removing the unwelcome dinner guest from our table. I managed to keep my composure while Ben demanded they bring the rest of our meal. We miraculously regained our appetites and attempted to forget what transpired moments earlier.  The owner promptly arrived back at our table with a mea culpa along with his best wine. He must have told every server in the restaurant as each one came up to check on us and see if we would order anything else. The patrons around us must have thought we were some American celebrities with the way the staff was fawning over us. If they only knew…

We decided to refer to our unexpected creepy crawly visitor as "Antonio" to help lighten the mood. At least we can laugh about it now and joke at how the situation could have been much worse. We concluded that Antonio really had the worst night of all. 

Moral of our dinner story: Always double check the sangria!

Spring Synopsis

Phew! It's been a hectic couple of weekends. Not to sound like I am whining or anything. :) Apologies for the delinquent post. I have been spending a good bit of time organizing and planning for a LOT of upcoming trips and visitors. Stay tuned! Not to mention, we are now 100% legal. Yes, we officially received our Belgian Visa D Registration while we were in NYC last week. The very tedious and time consuming process is finally over!

 

 

We are counting our lucky stars each and every day that we have the opportunity to enjoy our city and travel around Europe. We frequently remind ourselves that we only have a few more months left. Taking advantage of every weekend is our mantra. We are very sad at the prospect of leaving what we now call home. Don't get me started about having to move back to Texas. Sorry friends, but Ben may be bringing me (and Maddie) back kicking and screaming. Right when everything was really starting to feel like home, we are 10 weeks away from leaving. I've finally have taken the time to upload photos from the last few months of travel. In addition to our own travel plans, we have been hosting Ben's family over the past few weeks. We couldn't be happier to have the excuse to further explore our home and show off our favorite Brussels hotspots.  Below are a few photos of our travels:

 



We decided spend the long Easter weekend in Amsterdam as Europe receives the following Monday off for the holiday.  We were surprised to see that the city was PACKED! It seemed that everyone in the EU flocked to Amsterdam like geese to water for the weekend. Hotels were sold out well in advance leaving us late planners (clearly not my doing) with the remaining option of staying on a houseboat. It was a unique experience that even Maddie was able to enjoy. Unbeknownst to us, she's quite the little sailor for a dog that doesn't like water.

 

While our houseboat location wasn't the most convenient (about a 30 minute walk to the city center) we decided to alleviate the walking burden by renting a Vespa on our second day. We opted for the motorized approach instead of the traditional bicycle. Despite the many motorcycle excursions together, Ben and I had yet to experience Vespa riding TOGETHER. Well it was a fun filled experience and not half as fast as we are accustomed. The tiny motor, barely audible over din of the city, topped out at about 25 km/hour thanks to the added kilos from my rear on the back. Vespa riding in Amsterdam is strictly regulated to the bike lanes which makes for an entertaining experience as we weaved our way amongst bikes, pedestrians, and in some cases cars (it was entirely unclear what was a bike lane vs. street) throughout the canal filled streets. We were taken back by the lack of caution and driving manners of the cyclists, pedestrians - a complete free-for-all.  When asked about the rules of the road, the Vespa rental manager responded that typically the larger (or more powerful) person entering the intersection as the right away.  Yes, that was the actual answer.

 

 We luckily came out of Amsterdam unscathed and didn't even have a close call due to Ben's superior driving skills. While we were unable to see some of the famous tourist sites, the Anne Frank House in particular, we are excited to have the excuse to return. Being a 2.5 hour drive from Brussels, we'd be remise to not make another appearance on what we hope will be a less crowded weekend.

 

One Night in Paris

We are officially 8 weeks into our adventure abroad! Time is flying by. As we mapped out our travel destinations for the next four months, we couldn't help but spend Valentine's Day weekend in the City of Light. Paris is a relatively close three hour drive or 1.5 hour Euro Star train ride from Brussels.  Since we have a four legged fur child that loves road trips we opt for as many car rides as possible. By now, Maddie has associated the car with some sort of adventure. She is going to be a bit disappointed when we return home as American car rides will revert back to running errands or going to the nanny.

  

Upon our arrival, we were pleasantly surprised to receive an SPG upgrade to the Ambassadors Suite. We are relishing the bonuses while we can as our hotel and airline status will disappear in the coming year. The extra space was nice but the living room view of the Eiffel Tower was the most spectacular perk. The Westin has the perfect location in the city. We were in close proximity to the shops along Champs-Elysees and lush parks that flanked the Louvre.  Maddie will be more well-traveled than most dogs (and people) by the end of our trip. In case you were wondering, the Parisian stereotype is true as there were an inordinate amount of pint sized Poodles and Frenchies out and about along the avenues.

After a lengthy "Tour de Paris", Maddie was thrilled to spend her time relaxing in the king size bed while we spent the rest of our evening at the Crazy Horse.

  

The weather on Sunday was incredibly mild with abundant sunshine which made for an even more crowded walk around the Parisian neighborhoods. We fell in love with Saint-Germain which was full of art galleries, patisseries, and restaurants. We had a scrumptious Parisian lunch with a friend from business school at “La Palette” known to host a few Hollywood celebrities here and there. To my dismay, we didn't catch any celebs but the meal was fantastic regardless of star spotting. We highly recommend both the restaurant and neighborhood to anyone visiting the city!

The following weekend was spent with a variety of activities back in our host city. Saturday featured the "Museum Night Fever" event where 20+ museums kept their doors open until midnight to allow locals enjoy the variety of different exhibits for a single admission ticket. We were impressed with the large turnout and extra activities of art workshops, live music and libations.

 

 

 

  

 

On our way home we FINALLY experienced our first Gaufre (Belgian Waffle) from a local food truck. As you can see from Ben's expression, it is a tasty late night snack perfectly portioned to fit in your hand as you walk (or stumble) home from an evening out.

 

Stay tuned next week as we experience our first Carnival celebration in Cologne, Germany!

 

 

Bikes, Beer, and Bruges

Ben and I had a busy couple of weekends in Belgium. Having a list of extraordinary activities helps Ben get through the (still very long) work week. I've made it my job to research the latest and greatest events to keep our weekends full of the Euro experience.

To start, we couldn't believe that the car gods were smiling down on us, yet again. The European Motor Show conveniently came to Brussels for a weekend of pure car euphoria. It just so happens, only occurs on even numbered years, making us feel extra fortunate to experience this colossal car exhibition. It drew over 600,000 people over the course of the show! Like nothing we had ever encountered before in the U.S. The displays featured a combination of vehicles that spanned a variety of continents:

• European high performance vehicles (Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche)
• Big 3 luxury (BMW, Mercedes, and Audi)
• Japanese (Kia, Toyota, Honda)
• Standard Euro (Renault, Citroen, Peugeot)
• U.S. Auto Makers ( Jeep, Ford, Tesla)

We were delighted to see the Tesla Model S receive a great deal of attention from spectators. There was an astounding number of people in the exhibit area as kids, adults alike we're poking and prodding every inch of the electric masterpiece. It was reminiscent of those reacting to the " leg lamp"  in A Christmas Story.

A tour of automotive paradise wouldn't be complete without seeing all wheels including motorcycles. A bit surprising to find the combination of cars and motorcycles but this event knew it's audience. While the high performance area had the biggest draw there were still plenty of people oohing and aahing over the (foreign and domestic) selection of two wheels.

 

We've organized our weekends to allow for us to experience the local activities in Brussels and around the region. The first of February featured the famed Bruges Beer Festival so that was more than enough incentive for us to hop in the Blue Devil and drive the 1.5 hours south on E40 to Bruges. Bruges is a very popular town in Belgium as it is known as the "Venice of the North" with its canals, medieval architecture and central square featuring its most famous landmark, the 13th-century belfry. Prior to our journey abroad, we rented the film In Bruges featuring Colin Ferrell to give us a sneak peak at this historic Belgian town. For anyone planning to watch the movie, it's more of an action flick so don’t expect to see many tourist sites.

Now onto the best part of our Bruges experience: Beer. For a measly 10 euros, we received admission into this incredible beer bonanza complete with 4 tastings and a souvenir beer glass. If you ask Ben, this was by far the best deal we've had in Europe. There were over 350 beers to sample which, being a non-beer drinker, was quite overwhelming. While a red wine or vodka cocktail is normally my beverage of choice, the Belgian beer has grown on me. The pièce de résistance was the trappist Westvleteren beer. A little biere 101: Trappist biere is a beer produced within a monastery by monks. Majority of the trappist breweries are in Belgium but there are a few others around the world with a total of eight in existence. The trappist breweries are not in business to make money but rather only produce beer to support their monastery. Therefore they stop beer production once enough money has been raised. Westvleteren XII is noted (via beer advocate and worldwide critics) as the "Best Beer in the World." In case you were wondering, Ben was lucky enough to imbibe the exclusive "nectar of the gods". Another exceptional aspect to Belgian beers is the high alcohol content (8-9%), which after a few tastings made for a very entertaining day at the festival. The remainder of our time was spent merrily strolling about drinking, eating frites, and taking in the cast of characters. See below:

 

 

 

Our weekend wouldn't be complete without our Sunday family activity. We found a 100% off leash dog area that is nothing like your "average dog park". It is located in the Sonian Forest (forêt de soignes)  within the 4,421-hectares so there is plenty of room for horses and dogs to coexist. Maddie is always thrilled to see a group of horses trot by as we are on our 4-5 mile jog. It further solidifies our speculation that she was a farm dog in her past life. On our way home, we happened upon a local farmers market to pick up fresh eggs, bread, flowers and homemade cookie (for Ben, of course). We miss the Minneapolis Farmers Market and Brussels couldn't be a better place for our farmers market fix. All in all, we couldn't ask for a better end to a very full two days together.

 

More to come as we head to Paris for Valentine's Day weekend!

Fun with Four Wheels

Ben and I continue to get accustomed to life in our new city. You could even mistake us for actual Belgian residents. Almost. I appreciate that everyone initiates a conversation in French.  Most of the time it is to ask about Maddie. She is quite exotic looking compared to most pets around town. I think it's her smile that attracts everyone. At this point, I can only respond asking if they speak English. French lessons don't normally teach you the survival terms or phrases in the beginning. Although some would debate that Je voudrais du vin, s'il vous plaitz (I would like wine, please) or y a-t-i-l de la biere? (do you have beer?) is the epitome of survival basics in a new country. Unless someone is asking about coffee or other beverages, I am plastering an awkward smile on my face. Luckily, smiling is universally understood.  :)

 Given the awful work hours and long commute, Ben's company was nice enough to give him a car.  Lucky for him, it is not the standard company car. A BMW 3 series diesel, manual, station wagon. That noise you hear is Ben screaming, "Yes!" For those non car geeks, this glorious combination is not available in the U.S. For those that don't know Ben, he has an unhealthy obsession with station wagons. Personally, I am not opposed but if I could get a European car it would be the 4-door Audi A5…not to bash the BMW. At least it has a very nice blue exterior with a butter colored leather interior.  The car, nicknamed "The Blue Devil", had an interesting first week being a part of the Rosenblum family.

Now, it's been about three years since we lived in Boston so adapting to on street parking has been a rude awaking. A very rude one. Let's be honest, Dallas has made us soft with its copious amounts of parking garages and valet parking.  The first night in possession of the car, it was towed.  Being towed is never fun but it was much WORSE than anything we've experienced in the past.

 

First, there is one central towing depository on the other side of the city. Finding your way there is an adventure alone.

Second, you have to PROVE you own the car. You would think showing up with your car keys typically meets the ownership requirement. Nope, they need a paper stamped by the police that verifies that the car registration matches your identification.

Lastly, once you run around the city, the car is yours upon showing the approved stamped paper along with a LARGE handful of cash for their trouble.

 

 Needless to say, it ended up being my adventure for the morning. Ben's office now jokes that each Bain transfer needs to come with a significant other to take care of personal and household business. Does this count as resume building?

 

Despite the craziness, I was still able to attend my afternoon chocolate class at Zaabar. Each participant was able to create their own chocolate bar and truffles, which you get to devour at home. Yum! I walked away with a good bit of chocolate for 15 Euros. Not to worry, for those planning to visit, this activity will be part of the itinerary.

 

We decided to celebrate our new car freedom with a trip to the nearby city of Ghent. Ghent is the fourth largest city in Belgium about 55km south of Brussels.  It is full of early Flemish architecture complete with the medieval Gravensteen Castle. The energy and layout of the city immediately reminded us of Copenhagen. Lots of bikes, shopping, and cute promenades.  We spent a full day exploring the neighborhoods, drinking coffee, and even squeezing in a haircut for Ben. The best part of the day was the fact that our car DID NOT get towed allowing for an uneventful trip back to the city. Thank goodness! Fingers crossed the towing fairy is good to us for the duration of our stay in Brussels.

 To be continued…

 

 

 

 

Chocolate is the best medicine

Salut,

Ben and I had a challenging first week in our new home. First, we both spent the week dealing with the never-ending flu and head cold. I am certain that we caught the bug during our flight over. Even poor Maddie couldn’t stop sneezing! Secondly, Ben ended up working "banking hours" for majority of the week. By banking hours I mean chained to the desk for 20+ hours a day. I wish I was joking. He came home most nights around 3 a.m. and even managed to set the record (thus far) of 5:30 a.m. You can imagine my surprise finding him walking in at dawn only to sleep for an hour and get up to do it all over again. My schedule is much less taxing given day to day activities are spent furnishing our new apartment, stocking the fridge, and getting a gym membership. I can assure you that my stint as a "Belgian housewife" is temporary and will not  continue once we return to the U.S. in July - Sorry mom.  I am happy to report that the yoga class was normal complete with American music (they seem to be big fans of JT's latest album and Pink). Fortunately, I've done enough French lessons on Rosetta Stone to understand downward dog, child and the cat poses. Looking forward to experiencing Belgian spin, kickboxing, and body pump this week.

 

Luckily, we were able to recover from our colds in time for the weekend. Ben was even able to catch up on some much needed sleep. To our surprise and delight the Ferdinand Porsche Electric to Electric Exhibit was being held in the nearby Jubilee Park. Perfect timing! We were like children in a toy store (or chocolate factory) as we gleefully traversed the expo center seeing the variety of cars from turn of the century makes and models to the celebrated Porsche 911 over the past 50 years. 

 

The rest of our weekend was spent walking the city center to get the "tourist sites" out of the way . The Grand Place, Manneken Pis (a peeing statue of a little boy) and Pierre Marcolini (top chocolatier in Belgium) were all crossed off the list. The chocolate was incredible! Throw in a few macaroons and we were happily walking home in a sugar induced coma. I forgot how nice it was to get your workout in by getting around a city. I look forward to making shopping my cardio (and chocolate my lunch) while we are here. :)

 

Overall, we are adapting nicely to our new home. It is starting to look and feel like home each day. I am still searching for the kitchen staples of cream and cinnamon to make things complete.  I've managed to adapt to milk (sigh) in my coffee for now with hopes of finding that cinnamon soon.

 

Stay tuned!